Alabama Cinema

OTCF on August 29, 2014 at 9:18 am

The cinema’s name ‘Alabama’ was probably derived from an incident that occurred during the American Civil War.

On 7th August 1863, large crowds gathered on Signal Hill overlooking Cape Town and Table Bay, to see the arrival of the Confederated raider ‘Alabama’ with the captured Northern barque ‘Sea Bride'in tow.

The Alabama’s commander (Captain Raphael Semmes) and crew were welcomed by the people of Cape Town and the Alabama event later became a legend and eventually found its way into song.

In Cape Town especially in the Bo-Kaap (Upper Cape Town) the Cape Town Minstrels still sing their traditional song ‘Daar kom die Alabama’ (There comes the Alabama).

The Alabama Cinema was situated in the vicinity of the Bo-Kaap hence the name.